Student Aid Policy Papers Organized by Topic

College Costs

• Mark Kantrowitz, Proposal for Free College Tuition & Required Fees and Free Textbooks, August 20, 2015.
• Mark Kantrowitz, Conflicting Information about Trends in Net College Costs, November 17, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Causes of Faster-than-Inflation Increases in College Tuition (PDF), College & University Journal, 78(2):3-10, Fall 2002.

College Savings Plans

• Mark Kantrowitz, The Impact of Stock Market Performance on How Families Save for College, April 23, 2010.

Default Rates

• Mark Kantrowitz, Analysis of Preliminary FY2009 2-Year Cohort Default Rates, May 23, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Identifying Colleges with Aggressive Management of Cohort Default Rates, September 21, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Relationship of Default Rates to Debt and Income, August 17, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Default Rates by Institution Level vs. Degree Program, July 15, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Adjusting Default Rates According to Borrower Demographics, July 6, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Calculating the Contribution of Demographic Differences to Default Rates, April 5, 2010. Updated April 29, 2010 with the addition of a mathematical proof, and May 7, 2010 with a clarification of the household size variable.

• Mark Kantrowitz, FY2007 2-year and 3-year Cohort Default Rates by State and Level and Control of Institution, January 5, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, The Horrors of Defaulting on Education Debt, FiLife, November 10, 2009. (FiLife is a Dow Jones web property published in partnership with the Wall Street Journal. A longer version of the article was published on FastWeb as The Horrors of Defaulting on Education Debt on November 12, 2009.)

Effectiveness of Student Aid Programs

• Mark Kantrowitz, The College Completion Agenda May Sacrifice College Access for Low-Income, Minority and Other At-Risk Students, September 10, 2012.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Technology makes student aid more accessible, eCampusNews, March 3, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Targeting of Student Aid Programs According to Financial Need, April 29, 2009.

Enrollment

• Mark Kantrowitz, Countercyclicality of College Enrollment Trends, August 16, 2010.

FAFSA Completion

• Mark Kantrowitz, Does the FAFSA Discriminate against Low-Income Students?, February 24, 2017.
• Mark Kantrowitz, Leaving Money on the Table, January 12, 2015.
• Mark Kantrowitz, Reasons Why Students Do Not File the FAFSA, January 18, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, FAFSA Completion Rates by Level and Control of Institution, October 14, 2009.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Analysis of Why Some Students Do Not Apply for Financial Aid, April 27, 2009.

Financial Aid Award Letters and Net Price Calculators

• Mark Kantrowitz, Flaws in the Statutory Definition of Net Price, October 11, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, How to Stop Student Aid Award Letters from Misleading Students, Higher Ed Watch, September 20, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Student Aid Award Letters Continue to Mislead Students, Higher Ed Watch, September 13, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, The Need for Standardized and Required Disclosures Concerning College Costs and Financial Aid, September 13, 2011 (one-page summary, draft model financial aid award letter). Testimony presented at the U.S. Department of Education Public Meeting on Recommendations for Improvement of Student Financial Aid Offer Forms and Development of Model Financial Aid Offer Forms.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Proposal for Standardization of Financial Aid Award Letters and Net Price Calculators, March 17, 2011 (4-page summary). This 37-page written report was the basis for oral testimony by Mark Kantrowitz before a hearing of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance (ACSFA) on March 17, 2011. (See also ACSFA's report, The Bottom Line: Ensuring that Students and Parents Understand the Net Price of College, June 2011.)

• Mark Kantrowitz, Survey Concerning the Standardization of Financial Aid Award Letters, December 8, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Standardize Financial Aid Award Letters, Inside Higher Ed, June 22, 2007.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Recommended Elements of Award Letters, Regulatory Advisor, Council on Law in Higher Education, Volume 1, Number 1, March 2005.

For-Profit Higher Education

See also Gainful Employment below.

• Mark Kantrowitz, What's in a Name? The Relationship Between Institutional Control and a College's Name, June 29, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Characteristics of Students Enrolling at For-Profit Colleges, December 22, 2009.

Gainful Employment

• Mark Kantrowitz, Trick or Treat? U.S. Department of Education Publishes Final Gainful Employment Regulations, October 31, 2014.
• Mark Kantrowitz, U.S. Department of Education Proposes Stricter Gainful Employment Rule, April 28, 2014.
• Mark Kantrowitz, Analysis of FY2011 Gainful Employment Data, July 13, 2012.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Strategies for Complying with Gainful Employment by Reducing Debt and Improving College Completion Rates, June 28, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Summary and Analysis of Gainful Employment Final Rule, June 2, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Summary of Gainful Employment Policy Analysis Papers, October 20, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Impact of Gainful Employment on Public and For-Profit Colleges according to the Missouri Data Set, October 11, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, The Impact of Loan Repayment Rates on Minority Students, September 27, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, The Impact of Loan Repayment Rates on Pell Grant Recipients, September 1, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, The Impact of 'Persistence of Interest' on Loan Repayment Rates, August 23, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Missouri Unmasked, August 18, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Summary and Analysis of Gainful Employment NPRM, August 15, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Gainful Employment NPRM Proposes "Three Strikes" Rule, July 22, 2010. Updated July 26, 2010 with correction to the enrollment limits on colleges in the restricted zone.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Blending US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupation Wage Data with US Census Bureau Income by Educational Attainment Data, June 28, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, What is Gainful Employment? / What is Affordable Debt?, March 1, 2010. Revised March 11, 2010. (Addendum, April 27, 2010.)

Grants

• Mark Kantrowitz, Reforming Pell: New Ideas and Research to Improve Student Aid Policy, December 8, 2011. (presentation, handouts) This talk was presented as part of a panel at an event sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Preserving the Pell Grant: Alternatives to Cutting Year-Round Pell or the Maximum Grant, March 29, 2011.

Incentive Compensation

• Mark Kantrowitz, Elimination of the Safe Harbors for Incentive Compensation, April 26, 2010.

Need Analysis

• Mark Kantrowitz, Simplifying the EFC Formula, Testimony before the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, September 19, 2006.

Pipeline Leakage, Retention and Completion

• Mark Kantrowitz, How to Improve College Success for Single Students with Children, July 31, 2017.
• Mark Kantrowitz, Undergraduate Debt Causes "Pipeline Leakage" from Undergraduate School to Graduate and Professional School, November 22, 2010.

Return on Investment

• Mark Kantrowitz, The Financial Value of a Higher Education, Journal of Student Financial Aid 37(1):18-27, NASFAA, July 2007.

Risk Sharing

• Mark Kantrowitz, Consequences of the 90/10 Rule, August 19, 2013.

Scholarships

• Mark Kantrowitz, NSPA Scholarship Displacement Survey, September 16, 2013.
• Mark Kantrowitz, History of the Tax Status of Scholarships, September 13, 2013.
• Mark Kantrowitz, Survey Concerning the Use of Web Search Sites and Social Media Sites for Evaluating Scholarship Applicants, February 24, 2012.
• Mark Kantrowitz, How to Help Students Find and Win Private Scholarships, College Board Forum, October 28, 2011. (presentation, handouts)
• Mark Kantrowitz, Top Ten Myths About Scholarships, October 2, 2011. This article is based on a talk that was presented as part of a panel on "The Myths Versus Realities of Successfully Applying for Postsecondary Scholarships" at the 2011 National Conference of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) on September 23, 2011. (presentation, handouts)
• Mark Kantrowitz, The Distribution of Grants and Scholarships by Race, September 2, 2011.
• Mark Kantrowitz, Backgrounder: Athletic Scholarships, May 5, 2011.

Student Aid Budget and Legislation Summaries and Analyses

• Mark Kantrowitz, Will President Obama's Blueprint Cut College Costs?, New York Times, January 30, 2012.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Summary of Student Financial Aid Cuts in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012, December 16, 2011. Updated December 22, 2011 to reflect enrolled legislation.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Overview of Student Aid Changes in the Recent Reconciliation Legislation, Marketplace of Ideas, Council on Law in Higher Education, April 14, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Higher Education Funding in President Obama's FY 2011 Budget, Marketplace of Ideas, Council on Law in Higher Education, February 4, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Analysis of Perkins Loan Reengineering in the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (HR3221), September 18, 2009.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Discrepancies in the Education Appendix to the FY2010 Budget, May 7, 2009.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Financial Aid (Chapter 1) in Annual Review of Higher Education Law & Policy — Major Developments from 2008, Daren Bakst, editor, Council on Law in Higher Education, May 2009.

Student Aid Policy Proposals

• Mark Kantrowitz, Which Presidential Candidate Is Better for College Applicants?, New York Times, September 25, 2012.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Will Occupy Wall Street Shake Loose Some Change?, Student Aid Perspectives, NASFAA, January 19, 2012.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Congress Should Allow the Tuition and Fees Deduction to Expire, November 22, 2009.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Bolder Steps are Needed to Help Low-Income Students Avoid Debt, Higher Ed Watch, New America Foundation, September 30, 2009.

• Mark Kantrowitz, The Economic Hardship Deferment and the 20/220 Rule, May 5, 2009.

• Mark Kantrowitz, College Scholarship Sponsorship Tax Credit, March 9, 2007.

• Leo Kornfeld and Mark Kantrowitz, A New 'Independence' Day for Student Financial Aid, Chronicle of Higher Education 53(23):B11-B12, February 9, 2007.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Recommendations for the 2003 Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, September 27, 2002.

Student Aid Trends and Predictions

• Mark Kantrowitz, Paradigm Shifts in Student Aid Programs and Policies, Monster Human Capital Webinar Series, February 17, 2010. (Presentation, Handouts, Recording [51:14])

• Mark Kantrowitz, Top Ten Colleges for Total Title IV Student Aid, December 21, 2009.

Student Loans

See also Default Rates above.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Who Graduates with Excessive Student Loan Debt? December 14, 2015.
• Mark Kantrowitz, Debt at Graduation, January 7, 2014.
• Mark Kantrowitz, Response to CFPB request for information regarding an initiative to promote student loan affordability (Docket No. CFPB-2013-0004), March 5, 2013.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Lightening the Load: Awareness, regulations can ease loan debt crisis, CURRENTS, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, pages 9-10, February 2013.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Who Graduates College with Six-Figure Student Loan Debt?, August 1, 2012.

• David Levy, Margaret Carothers and Mark Kantrowitz, Review of Public Comments about Private Student Loans, July 27, 2012.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Partial Public Service Loan Forgiveness Loophole Will Yield Substantial Financial Benefits to Some Medical School Graduates, December 19, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Five myths about student loans, Washington Post, November 11, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, The Student Loan Proposal: What It Might Mean for You, New York Times, October 26, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Characteristics of College Students Who Graduate with No Debt, August 24, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Education Lending Suggestions for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Private Education Loan Ombudsman, July 17, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Borrowing in Excess of Institutional Charges, April 28, 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Improving Borrower Satisfaction and Compliance by Adopting a Better Communication Strategy, December 23, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Interest-Only and Negatively Amortized Loan Repayment Plans, November 2, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Distribution of Debt at Graduation by Amount of Debt, College Type and Degree Program, September 29, 2010. (Addendum, October 1, 2010.)

• Mark Kantrowitz, Questions and Answers on the Student Loan Bill, New York Times, March 22, 2010.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Parent PLUS Loan Denial Rates in the FFEL and Direct Loan Programs, August 31, 2009.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Growth in Cumulative Education Debt at College Graduation, July 30, 2009. Updated August 28, 2009.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Characteristics of Private Student Loan Borrowers Who Do Not Use Federal Education Loans, June 7, 2009.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Characteristics of Borrowers with Excessive Debt, May 11, 2009.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Analysis and Evaluation of Iowa Student Loan Practices, September 19, 2008.

• Philip R. Day, Jr., Brian K. Fitzgerald, Thomas J. Kane, Mark Kantrowitz, Brett Lief, Barmak Nassirian, A Design-It-Yourself Student-Loan Program, Admissions & Student Aid, Chronicle of Higher Education 54(34):B22, May 2, 2008.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Evaluating Student Loan Discounts, Student Aid Transcript 18(2):32-38, NASFAA, July 2007.

Student Loans & Bankruptcy Discharge

• Mark Kantrowitz, Limitations on the Exception to Discharge of Private Student Loans, August 19, 2007. Revised March 5, 2009.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Impact of the Bankruptcy Exception for Private Student Loans on Private Student Loan Availability, August 14, 2007.

Student Loan Credit Crisis

• Mark Kantrowitz, Solving the Student Loan Credit Crunch, March 10, 2008. Revised March 23, 2008 and April 30, 2008.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Testimony on Turmoil in U.S. Credit Markets: Impact on the Cost and Availability of Student Loans, Hearing of the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, April 15, 2008.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Proposal for a Reverse Student Loan Liquidity Auction, January 22, 2008.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Analysis of Proposed FFELP Subsidy Cuts, July 17, 2007. Updated September 5, 2007.

Verification

• Mark Kantrowitz, Policing Tax Evasion and Tax Fraud: A Consequence of the Regulations Concerning Conflicting Information, Best Practices in Finanancial Aid Administration, Regulatory Advisor, Council on Law in Higher Education, Volume 1, Number 2, April 2005.

Miscellaneous

• Mark Kantrowitz, Should More College Financial Aid Be Based on Need, Not Merit? Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2012.

• Mark Kantrowitz and Lynn O'Shaughnessy, Much Ado About Double or Nothing, New York Times, May 9, 2012.

• Mark Kantrowitz and Mark Schneider, Stop Fighting Over Interest Rates — There's a Better Way For Congress To Fix the Student Debt Crisis, Time Magazine, May 8, 2012.

• Patricia Steele, Matthew Reed (Chair), Sandy Baum, Victor Borden, Nancy Borkow, Bryan Cook, Archie Cubarrubia, Rita Grogan, Tammy Halligan, Gigi Jones, Mark Kantrowitz, Christine Keller, Lesley McBain, Elise Miller, Shirley Ort, Brian Prescott and Dawn Geronimo Terkla, Suggestions for Improvements to the Collection and Dissemination of Federal Financial Aid Data, NPEC 2012834, October 2011.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Withholding Academic Transcripts and Diplomas, Regulatory Advisor, Council on Law in Higher Education, June 2007.

• Mark Kantrowitz, Defining 'Education-Related Expenses', Emerging Issues in Financial Aid, Council on Law in Higher Education, Volume 1, Number 3, March 24, 2007.